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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEErcE;

JOEL R. BASSETT, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO' C. H.' WILLIAMS.

BALL-VALVE ron PUMPS.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOEL R. BAssETT, of@ Cincinnati, Hamilton county, Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements inj Valves for Pumps; and I do. hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact; description thereof, reference being had tothe annexed drawing, making part of this specification.

The increasing preference for metallic valves over those of leather, and the veryi general adoption of the former, have given rise to a great variety of contrivances hav-1 ing this object in view. Among these, those known as ball valves, have several well kno-wn and valuable advantages, such as their equable wear, their simplicity, their permanence, non-liability to clog, and almost total exemption from friction.

It is my aim in this invention to extend the peculiar advantages of a rolling valve, by enabling a single ball valveto serve two openings; and for this purpose I have devised such a construction of the containing passages, as shall insure the occupancy of one or other opening while the valve is at rest.

It may be proper here to premise that I am aware of the existence of a ball valve which serves two openings in the connecting pipes of t-anks, boilers, &c., but beyond this double action of the valve, the analogy ceases; in my pump, both the object to e .attained and the construction to accomplish that object being radically different, and in some respects diametrically the opposite of t-he cases cited, in which the object being to preserve an equilibrium in the several tanks thus connected, there is under all ordinary circumstances,l a free communication through both openings at the same time, and the construction therefore in these is or should be such that the gravity of the valve will tend to hold it to an intermediate position between the openings, and when in consequence of the careening of the vessel, the valve drops onto the lower opening the iow of water ceases altogether.

F or my purpose the valve must occupy one or other opening except at the instant of reversal, and cannot be allowed to remain at any intermediate point, and change of position is only made from one opening to the other, and when made diverts but does not stop the flow of'water.

In the accompanying drawing my im- 10,537, dated February 14,1854.

fwith a section removed to one side, and a part of the exterior broken yaway so as to expose themterior arrangement.

sages.V .f o, The two discharge chambers (c 0') are separated'by a partition (d), one chamber communicating directly with the bottom l proved pump is represented in perspective?, I

.of the pump cylinder, and the other,jl

through the side pipe,.with the Vtop of the cylinder. n n n (E, EQ) are the two supply valves, and (e c) `are theirseats. One dischargev valve F) serves for two rdischarge openings (f, f), communicatingy respectively with the chamber (c, c). All these valves just enumerated are of metal and are spherical in form. y,

The valve F traverses back and forth in a semi-annular chamber (g),.occupying alternatel one of the two o enin s as the water flows from thepchazbei'f. (ce), or chamber (0) in its passage from the pump. Thel discharge water passes from the semiannular chamber (g) through the openin (g) into the air vessel, which covers an surrounds the chamber (g).

Immediately below the discharge chamber (c c) is a space (h) which I call the supply chamber; at the bottom of this chamber where it communicates with the supply pipe is the valve seat (z') of ay puppet valve I,vthe stem of which terminates in a head which is fitted to work smoothly in a cylin@ drical air chamber (j) being either ground in or packed, so as to confine the air contained in the chamber above the valve, when the latter is raised.

When the pump is in ordinary motion, the

valve (I) has not time to drop on to its seat but remains suspended by the rising columnV of water, but as soon as the current ceases,- the valve Vdrops to its place andprevents the' return of water to the supply pipe. Y The purpose of this arrangement is twofold. In

the first place, the valve (I) acts as a check valve to retain the contents of the chamber (la) which are by it .prevented from owing back, and secondly during the operation of thepump, by affording an elastic force fin-y side ofthechamber, it prevents the concusf Y, f

sion arising from the rapid manipulation of the pump. This effect is but poorly attained by an ordinary air chamber inasmuch as'y A 60 i l (a) is the cylinder and (bythe side pipe f "f of a double-acting pump have vthe usual -p'as-A f when exposed to the water the air is grad-Y ually carried off and the chamber becomes flooded with water.

The valve moves in a semiannular tracker chamber (g) over an intervening or dividing ridge, situated between the openings (f f) and which in conjunction with the sides and top of the selniannular chamber, forms a guide for the valve, and insures its occupancy of one or other of the valve seats at all timesexcept when in the act of passing from'one to the other, as it is alternately acted upon by the discharge water, from one or the other end of the umpcyl-Y inder flowing though openings Ff or .f). The dividing ridge between the openings (f, f) follows the curve of the annular chamber, and prevents the ball valve from lodging at any intermediate point, and insures the occupancy by the valve of one or other of the seats (f f) during the inaction of the pump and at all other times, with the exception of the instant required to traverse the intervening ridge at the commencement of each upward ordownward stroke of the pump piston. In this respect the operaserves as a guard to prevent its displacement by the disturbing action of the current of water.

I'claim as new herein, and of my invention, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent- The method of aiding and insuring the operation `of the ball valve F by means of an intervening or dividing ridge, placed between the openings (f f) and forming part of the semiannular chamber (g) as described and represented, by which the valve is made to seek and occupy its appropriate seat, when acted on by the discharge water in one or the other direction.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand before two subscribing witnesses. v J. R. BASSETT.

Witnesses Y GEO. H. KNIGHT, F. H. NWEKAMP. 

